Twenty-nine years later, and now a bona fide supermodel known all over the world for her racehorse-like physique (and
that
temper), she quite literally catwalked into one of the location's most famous venues, the Royal Opera House, to talk about her modelling competition show,
The Face
, coming to the UK.

"I'm not actually very confident," she said when asked by host Nick Grimshaw if she had imparted her catwalk confidence onto the show's contenders, citing the nerves she felt before the Diane von Furstenberg show she closed at New York Fashion Week just a couple of weeks ago. "I never want to be sure of myself, because I think if I get to that place, I'll never do another show."

Dressed in a crisp white Alexander McQueen skirt suit, Campbell was joined by her fellow mentors on the show, Erin O'Connor and Caroline Winberg. Each mentors a team of four aspiring models, one of whom will be evicted from the show each week. The prize for the last model standing is a contract with Max Factor.

The assembled press were afforded a first look at the second episode of the new series, and it's safe to say Campbell is the exact opposite of "not actually very confident" in her role as mentor and judge.

As was to be expected, the 43-year-old is show's main attraction. She's feisty, fiery and the purveyor of some of the show's finest, and most quotable, moments. "Wind please!" she demands as she begins a master class on posing.

"Some might say girl-next-door, others might say bland," she spits about rival judge Winberg's group of girls. "Every time I speak, you should have your notebook open," she bites at one of her own girls, who then proceeds to burst into tears (word of advice: don't ever cry in front of Naomi, she won't offer you her designer-clad shoulder).

It was Kate Moss, she said, that encouraged her to do the show. "I was always afraid to do television for many years. It was either to follow my life, which I'll never do, or to judge, which I don't feel comfortable with. But when they asked me to do mentoring, I thought 'well, that's different, I get to share something I've learnt.' And Kate always says that she was my first pupil."

The supermodel also spoke about the success of the
Balance Diversity campaign
, which she is leading alongside fellow models and activists Iman and Bethann Hardison.

"In the past 10 days there has been a huge change from Balance Diversity," she confirmed. "For instance, Giorgio Armani had a woman of colour open his show, and had four women of colour in his show, which has never, ever happened."

"What we don't want this to be a trend; that designers begin using models of colour just because we are raising our voices. We hope they will keep doing it and we're going to keep raising our voices until they do. It's a long-term plan."